Shopping for Fish: Your Buyer’s Guide

Not everything with fins and a tail will give you the same benefits — or, for that matter, expose you to the same amount of mercury or other contaminants. Here, two lists that will help you make your picks.

HIGH IN OMEGA-3s

These fish are some of the best at protecting your heart.

Bass (striped)

Herring

Mackerel (Atlantic)

Oysters (Pacific)

Sablefish

Salmon

Trout (freshwater)

Tuna (canned, white)

LOW IN MERCURY

These tend to have particularly low levels of the metal.

Anchovies

Hake

Tilapia

Catfish

Herring

Trout (freshwater)

Clam

Mackerel (Atlantic)

Whitefish

Crab

Salmon

Haddock (Atlantic)

Sardines

4 TO THROW BACK

Young children and women in their childbearing years should avoid these high mercury fish entirely. It’s not a bad idea for everyone else to limit their consumption too.